A History in Sum

Steve Nadis

Shing-Tung Yau

“A History in Sum is a beautiful tribute to a beautiful subject, one that illuminates mathematics through the lens of some of its most remarkable practitioners. The authors’ love of mathematics shines through every chapter, as they use accessible and spirited language to describe a wealth of heady insights and the all-too-human stories of the minds that discovered them. There is perhaps no better book for immersion into the curious and compelling history of mathematical thought.”—Brian Greene, Professor of Mathematics & Physics, Columbia University

“A History in Sum contains a wealth of good stories, stories that go to the heart of the development of mathematics in this country. The authors succeed in humanizing and enlivening what might otherwise be a dry treatment of the subject.”—Ron Irving, Professor of Mathematics, University of Washington

“Nadis and Yau are very successful at bringing some of the major figures in American mathematics to life. A History in Sum is a genuine and valuable addition to the world of mathematical biography.”—Paul Lockhart, author of Measurement

“The book is written in a leisurely style, the scope is remarkably broad, and the topics covered are explained astonishingly well. Once I started the book, I simply couldn’t put it down and I was ecstatic to easily understand important mathematics far from my own research interests.”—Joel Smoller, Professor of Mathematics, University of Michigan

“A triumph! I know of no other book like A History in Sum. Nadis and Yau offer a delightfully lucid introduction to the dazzling and heroic ideas of twentieth-century mathematics—and the colorful personalities and stories behind them.”—Steven Strogatz, author of The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity

“This book tells the tale of how mathematics developed at Harvard—and by extension in the United States—since early days. It is filled with fascinating stories about some of the legendary names of modern mathematics. Both fans of mathematics and readers curious about the history of Harvard will enjoy it.”—Edward Witten, Professor of Physics, Institute for Advanced Study